My life is so crazy that I am constantly offering up all my crosses and trials to the Lord! So what can you say to someone next time they start complaining about their day? Tell them to offer it up! The Lord offered up all his sufferings to God, so can we.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Thursday, May 15, 2008

In that day every trial borne in patience will be pleasing and the voice of iniquity will be stilled; the devout will be glad; the irreligious will mourn; and the mortified body will rejoice far more than if it had been pampered with every pleasure. Then the cheap garment will shine with splendor and the rich one become faded and worn; the poor cottage will be more praised than the gilded palace. In that day persevering patience will count more than all the power in this world; simple obedience will be exalted above all worldly cleverness; a good and clean conscience will gladden the heart of man far more than the philosophy of the learned; and contempt for riches will be of more weight than every treasure on earth.Then you will find more consolation in having prayed devoutly than in having fared daintily; you will be happy that you preferred silence to prolonged gossip.Then holy works will be of greater value than many fair words; strictness of life and hard penances will be more pleasing than all earthly delights.Learn, then, to suffer little things now that you may not have to suffer greater ones in eternity. Prove here what you can bear hereafter. If you can suffer only a little now, how will you be able to endure eternal torment? If a little suffering makes you impatient now, what will hell fire do? In truth, you cannot have two joys: you cannot taste the pleasures of this world and afterward reign with Christ.If your life to this moment had been full of honors and pleasures, what good would it do if at this instant you should die? All is vanity, therefore, except to love God and to serve Him alone.He who loves God with all his heart does not fear death or punishment or judgment or hell, because perfect love assures access to God.It is no wonder that he who still delights in sin fears death and judgment.It is good, however, that even if love does not as yet restrain you from evil, at least the fear of hell does. The man who casts aside the fear of God cannot continue long in goodness but will quickly fall into the snares of the devil.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Friday, April 25, 2008

Woman's soul is fashioned to be a shelter in which other souls may unfold. Both spiritual companionship and spiritual motherliness are not limited to the physical spouse and mother relationships, but they extend to all people with whom it comes in contact." St. Edith Stein

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely ignored, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult of the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility - and endure as Jesus endured,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any garment, any interruption by the will of God,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature then yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart,THAT IS DYING TO SELF

Are you dead yet? The Spirit will remind us that resurrection cannot be accomplished on a live person. For a truly victorious resurrected Life-in-Christ, we must die to self!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

"Ask, and it will be given to you"(Matthew 7:7)."If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it."(John 14:4) Don't get too involved in the outcome of your prayers. The idea is to bring your problems and petitions to God and let him solve them according to His Will. He certainly can handle them better than we can.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Well if you were married to my husband....when I wake up in the morning there is this stentch of what I call the "brown breeze". It is my husband's pillow. I have tried everything to get rid of it. He sweats so bad that it gets so wet and stinky. He tells me that his pillow smells like sweet petunias in a nice summer day blowing in the breeze. Well I haven't smelled petunias but I can guarantee they don't smell like this.

I have even tried covering his pillows with plastic bags and put the pillowcase over it. But the smell goes right through the pillow. I buy new ones for him and within a week, the smell is back again. So one day I decided that I would just "Offer It Up" for all my sins. It must have some value; for suffering is involved especially when I wake up to this every morning! Then I thank God that my husband is still next to my side!